The World Trade Organization (WTO) has confirmed the creation of two panels to mediate on cases relating to Chinese anti-dumping and countervailing duties, and a third to examine Canadian support to local manufacturers of clean-tech products in cases brought by the European Union and Japan.

MOSCOW, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Russia imposed a temporary ban Wednesday on cattle import from several EU countries after the outbreak of Schmallenberg virus there. According to the food safety and sanitary watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor, the ban has been introduced on the import of live cattle and cattle products from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

Lima, Jan. 31 (ANDINA). Peru’s agricultural sector would take advantage of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to be signed with India, one of the fastest growing countries in the world. At the present, this sector faces high costs when entering this country as the tariff assigned is 31.8%, higher than other areas, agraria.pe reported. In this regard, this trade pact could be very positive for the country, as it would allow Peruvian products to enter the Indian market more easily.

(Reuters) - Two top lawmakers on Tuesday urged President Barack Obama's administration to broaden efforts to pressure China to change its currency practices by raising the issue at a World Trade Organization symposium in March. "China will not end its currency undervaluation unless the U.S. seizes opportunities like this to insist that it does," the lawmakers said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.

The United States and Japan have seen “important progress” on a range of trade and regulatory issues, as well as on new areas of joint cooperation, that should expand trade opportunities for producers and consumers in both countries.

PTI/NEW DELHI: India and Israel will hold another round of negotiations by the end of March on signing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to achieve a bilateral trade figure of USD 10-15 billion per year. The two countries had decided on the FTA during the recent visit of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to Tel Aviv. "There is another round of negotiations towards the end of March and I hope both sides will do their best and by the end of this year we will sign the (FTA) agreement," Israeli Ambassador to India Alon Ushpiz said.

The World Bank recently published a valuable research paper (World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 5940 by Justin Yifu Lin and Doerte Doemeland) which presents the evidence needed to justify a globally coordinated initiative in carefully selected infrastructure investment.

(Reuters) - A World Trade Organisation ruling against China's restrictions on raw material exports could force changes to some of its rare earth policies but is unlikely to yield the boost in exports of the metals that consumers want to see. A WTO panel on Monday said China violated global trading rules by restricting exports of raw materials like bauxite, coke, magnesium, manganese and zinc, which inflated prices and gave domestic Chinese firms an unfair competitive advantage.

WASHINGTON –  President Barack Obama is offering encouragement for the former Soviet republic of Georgia's hopes for a preferential trade agreement with the United States, but says the country has a way to go in its economic reforms. Obama praised visiting Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili Monday and said there is a "possibility" of a free trade agreement that is a top priority for Georgia. Obama said the U.S. will help Georgia strengthen its free market system with high-level dialogue, but did not address when or under what conditions that might expand.